I Never Told You What I Do For A Living
by CantStopWontStop
Summary: Oliver Wood is madly in love with his wife, Katie, but what she doesn't know is that he's actually working for the Order of the Phoenix, instead of Puddlemere United. Eventually, she begins to get suspicious as he becomes more involved in his secret job.
1. Secrets

(I'm really excited about writing this story and I really hope it goes well. Review and let me know what you think!)

I shut the door behind myself and hung up my cloak. "Katie?" I called out my wife's name and waited for a response.

"In the kitchen!" came the reply. I made my way into the kitchen where my wife was cooking dinner.

"Hey," I said, kissing her. "How was your day?"

Katie shrugged. "Another day in the fashion industry," she said. "We had a crisis with a skirt, but we figured it out."

"Hmm, that's good," I said. "Can't deprive girls of their pleated skirts."

"Actually, it was A-line," Katie pointed out. "Anyway, how was your day?"

Every time she asks me this question, I feel a little pang of guilt. "It was fine," I said with a shrug.

"How's the new Keeper doing?"

"Huh?" I asked, confused.

"You told me you were training a new Keeper."

"Oh!" I exclaimed, remembering my lie. "Yeah, he's doing really well."

"That's good," Katie said with a smile. She kissed me again and went to washing dishes.

I never liked having to lie to Katie. I knew it was wrong, but I had no other choice. I just couldn't risk it.

See, she thinks I'm taking time off from Puddlemere United's starting Keeper position in order to train the reserve team. She has no idea what I actually do. She has no idea that I've risked my life several times and have met up with hundreds of dark wizards.

If anyone ever found out I worked for the Order of the Phoenix, my life would be put at an even greater risk and if anyone ever thought Katie knew, her life would be at risk as well. And if anything ever happened to her, I don't know what I would do. So, for the past 2 years, Katie's been unaware of my real job.

Don't get me wrong, I love her more than anything. She's the most beautiful and amazing woman I'd ever known. We began dating back when we went to Hogwarts together and got married 2 years ago. And to be honest, those have been the best 2 years of my life.

I joined the Order about a year before we got married. There've been so many times when I've wanted to tell her, but then I remember can't. And if she found out, she'd probably kill me anyway.

"Don't forget we're going to my parents' tomorrow," Katie reminded me.

I nodded in acknowledgement when a small brown owl flew through the window, dropping a folded piece of parchment on my head. I hastily opened it up and read it.

_Oliver-_

_Get over to the McNair mansion. Something went wrong and they need backup._

_Mike_

I glanced at Katie, who was still washing dishes. "I've got to go," I said, shoving the letter in my pocket and kissing her. "Emergency team meeting. I'll be back later. I love you."

"Ol, what-"

I kissed her again. "See you later." And I left.

* * *

"Wood! Over here!" I spotted my best friend, Mike, waving me towards him.

"What happened?" I asked, looking up at the old mansion, which was currently ablaze with flames.

"We sent in a couple of guys. No one was supposed to be here, but something happened…… Mitch made it out fine. They got Will out, he was stunned. Jason was burned pretty badly, he's already at St. Mungo's."

"And who was it inside?"

"No idea," Mike replied. "They fled."

"Do you think it was…...?"

"Not a clue," Mike said. "We think they fled into the north woods."

I nodded. "OK, let's go."

4 hours later, we emerged, tired and dismayed. "Another one lost," Mike groaned.

"Figure it this way," I said. "If they really did flee into the north woods, they would have eventually had to go east."

Mike nodded in agreement. "I guess they'll send some people to look tomorrow." I nodded.

"I've got to get home," I said. "It's pretty late." Mike nodded and clapped me on the back.

"See you later, Oliver." And I apparated home.

When I got back home, I found Katie asleep in bed. "Kate?" I whispered, gently poking her. She rolled over and mumbled something.

"What is it?" she mumbled. "Ol, it's really late. Where've you been?"

"The meeting held up pretty long," I lied. "One of the Chasers was having salary issues and there were some other discussions."

She shifted around and sat up, propping herself up on her elbows. "And it lasted nearly 5 hours?"

I shrugged. "They like to talk a lot."

"Oh, mmkay. Goodnight."

I kissed her forehead. "Goodnight."

* * *

"You look tired," Katie told me the next morning. "Are you feeling OK?"

I shrugged. "I'm fine," I answered. "I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night." She studied me for a moment.

"I think you're working too hard," she said.

"No I'm not," I defended. "Seriously, I'm fine. Besides, the only time I work hard is when you and I-" She gave me a look and I smiled.

"I better get going," I said, kissing her.

"Don't forget, we're going to my parents' for dinner," Katie reminded me. "Be home by 6."

I nodded quickly. "I know, I know. I'll be back." I kissed her again and left.

How'd you like it? Good, bad, despicable? Well, the softball season is beginning to get serious now, so the next update is unknown. I'm hoping to FINALLY finish "Walking On Broken Glass." I'm working on the next chapter for "This Time Around", so look for it soon. OK, here's the deal…… I can't come up with a title for this story. The title I have now is actually just the name of a My Chemical Romance song. So, if any of you have any ideas, let me know and I'll see if I can find something I like. BTW, "The Prince and Me" is a REALLY good movie. OK, well review and thanks for reading!


	2. Overworked

Wow, I am so sorry about the lack of update. I went to the Taste of Chaos tour (which totally rocked) and then I've been spending time shooting a video for a health class project. Oh, and of course I've been playing softball and tennis. So, I'm done giving you my excuses and on with the chapter! Oh, and thanks to those who reviewed.

"Wood, look out!" I dropped to the ground as a stunning spell shot over my head. I rolled over onto my back and shot a stunning spell at the Death Eater who was advancing on me. The spell hit him squarely in the chest and he froze and fell over. Mike helped me up and kicked the Death Eater for reassurance. We looked at ach other and he nodded. I pulled off the hood of the Death Eater and looked back at Mike. It was Avery. "I knew it," he said. "I knew he had to be one."

I nodded. "I figured he was too." We charmed ropes around Avery's wrists and ankles. The sky was beginning to darken and I muttered, "Wingardrium Leviosa." Avery levitated in the air and Mike and I made our way out of the woods.

"By the way," Mike said as we headed towards a port key. "Nice grab back there-you know, when you caught your wand."

"Thanks," I said with a nod. I prodded the floating Avery to ensure he was still unconscious. "Keeper reflexes."

"Speaking of which, when are you going back to Puddlemere?" Mike asked.

"When all of this is over," I answered in an obvious tone.

"Oliver," Mike said in a reasoning tone. "You and I both know what it's like out there. This may never end. And you, you've got a wife back home. I mean, when are you going to start a family?"

"Katie knows that-shit!" I said, remembering where I was supposed to be. "Katie!" Mike looked at me confused. "I was supposed to go to her parents for dinner tonight." I checked my watch and cursed.

"Well, go," Mike said. "I'll take care of Avery."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

He nodded. "Go."

I nodded back and apparated home.

When I got home, Katie was gone. I checked my watch again. I was nearly 3 hours late. She'd be back any time. I looked myself over and noticed that I was covered in mud and decided I might as well take a shower.

When I got out of the shower, I found Katie sitting at the kitchen table, going over some sketches. "How nice of you to finally join me," she muttered.

"Look Katie, let me explain," I said. "I'm really sorry. We got caught up and I had to stay, and-"

"You knew we had plans," Katie said. "You knew it."

"I know, but we got held up. The new Keeper-"

"And you couldn't take the time to let me know you were going to be late? You couldn't take just one minute to let me know that?"

"I know. I should've, Kate-"

"I mean, it wasn't exactly all that grand, explaining to my parents that my husband couldn't come to dinner because he's too busy working."

"Look Katie," I said. "I'm sorry. Honestly, it'll never happen again." I slipped my arms around her waist and gave her a pleading look. "Forgive me?"

She studied me and sighed. "Just don't let it happen again, OK?"

I kissed her. "I won't."

* * *

I guess I was somehow hit with a stroke of luck, because the next day, I had barely any work and was home by 5.

However, the day after was complete chaos. There were 2 break-ins, both of which were somehow linked with Voldemort. We spent 3 hours in a meeting simply trying to figure out who was responsible for the break-ins. We ended up answerless.

I was extremely anxious throughout the day because I HAD to be home by 6. Katie was presenting her latest line of clothing and was expecting me to be there. I couldn't disappoint her again.

It was 5:00 when Mike came sprinting into the Order Headquarters. "Oliver, we have to go," he said urgently. "We've got a location on Goyle!"

"Mike, I can't!" I exclaimed. "I've got to meet Katie in an hour."

"You'll be back by then," he said. "We've got the exact location!"

I glanced at my watch again and sighed. I grabbed my wand and followed Mike out the door.

We apparated into a clearing in a large forest. "He's in an old mansion just about ½ a mile north," Mike told me as we made our way through the trees. "Matt and Ben should be on the east side of the mansion. They'll give a signal and we'll go through the opposite side. We want to keep Goyle alive, they want him available for questioning. Go easy, but not too easy." We entered another clearing where an old stone mansion was. "OK," Mike said. "Wait for the signal."

We waited, crouched behind a large tree, until silent blue sparks shot in the air. We hastily crept towards the house and crouched underneath a window.

A loud shout cut through the silence of the evening and I shattered the window with my elbow. I scrambled through the window, Mike behind me. There was more shouting coming from another room and we hurried into the living room, where Ben and Matt had Goyle on the floor. Both of their wands lay on the other side of the room.

Reacting quickly, I shot a stunning spell at Goyle. Mike used a binding charm and within seconds, we had Goyle tied up. "All right?" I asked Matt and Ben. They both nodded.

"Bastard hit me in the eye," Ben muttered. We levitated Goyle up and I checked my watch. 5:55. I swore and put my wand back in my pocket.

"I've got to go," I said quickly. "Make sure you check out the rest of this place before you take Goyle back."

They nodded and I apparated back to the convention center where Katie would be. It was crowded with people and I hurried backstage and found Katie. "It's too long," she was saying. "And we can't pin it up. The fabric will snag. If we tuck it under, you won't be able to tell that it's asymmetrical. Here, try these shoes……"

"Hey," I said. Katie looked up at me, looking flustered.

"Hey," she said breathlessly. She turned back to the model who she was talking with. "Those don't work. Try the stilettos." She looked back up at me and her eyes grew wide. "Oliver, what happened?" she exclaimed, pointing at my arm. I looked at my elbow and saw that the area below it was bleeding freely. Katie pulled a scarf out of her pocket and soaked up the blood which was running down my forearm. "What did you do?" she asked.

"I don't know," I lied with a shrug. "It must've happened during practice today. I was training the new Keeper and collided with a Chaser."

Katie sighed. "What am I going to do with you?" she asked. I smiled and kissed her.

"At least I wasn't 3 hours late."

She smiled. "I guess that's some progress."

(There you have it. I know it wasn't all that great, but it'll get better, I promise. I also promise that the next update will be quicker. Thanks so much to those who are patiently reading and reviewing!)


	3. Late Again

(Wow, it's been a while. I know I promised I'd update quicker…… well, I lied. But now I'm FINALLY updating what is one of the longest chapters I've written in a while. Thanks so much to the reviewers and special thanks to Mello80 for the name Pinky.)

The weeks that followed were easy and there wasn't much to do. We made a couple of arrests, and that was about it. Mike and I even found time to fit in a lunch break one day. "I'm thinking about quitting," Mike suddenly told me.

I stared at him. "You mean quit the Order?" I asked. He nodded. "Why?"

He shrugged. "I'm 25 years young," he said. "I want to get married and have a family, go back to my old job."

"Yeah? And who do you plan to marry?" I asked.

"I don't know." Mike shrugged. "Katie, if you're willing to hand her over." I glared at him and he grinned.

"But why quit?" I asked. "I'm married and I have no need to quit."

"Don't be too sure."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that maybe you should consider it too," he told me. "This job is getting more dangerous and you really do have to think of Katie."

"But she doesn't even know."

"Well, what's that going to do to her when she finds out?"

"That's just it!" I insisted. "She isn't going to find out."

"What if something happens to you?" Mike asked.

I shrugged. "I'm not too worried about it. Besides, Katie is fine with the way things are."

**3rd Person POV**

"I don't know Angelina," Katie sighed. "I can't figure out what I've done wrong. I mean, it's like he's not even there anymore. He's always hurrying off to do things for work. It's like he loves his job more than me. I know that he loves quidditch, but he's never loved it this much." She fell silent for a moment. "Unless he loves _someone_ else."

Angelina Weasley sighed. "I think that might be jumping to conclusions. From what it sounds like, he's just distant. I don't think he's cheating."

"But he always has to leave! He's always late—he came home at 3 in the morning once!"

"Katie," Angelina started in a soothing tone. "I don't think there's any reason for him to cheat on you. He loves you, you know that."

Katie stared miserably into her tea. "I just don't see what went wrong."

"Kate, you didn't do anything wrong," Angelina said. "The two of you have just hit a rough patch. Every couple has their share of fights."

"That's just it!" Katie exclaimed. "We're not even fighting. We just…… I don't know. Things just aren't the same."

"Well why don't you ask him? You know, talk to him about it," Angelina suggested.

Katie shook her head. "I'm just going to let it go. If it happens again, then I'll talk to him."

**Oliver's POV**

The next day was Katie and my anniversary. I didn't really worry about being home on time since things had been so slow lately, but of course, my luck had run out.

The day started out pretty normal. I pretty much just sat around w/ Mike doing nothing until there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Mike called out. The door swung open and a woman walked in.

"Mike Smith and Oliver Wood?" she asked. We nodded and she held her hand out towards Mike. "I'm Jen. Jen Rawlings." Mike shook her hand and I followed pursuit. We stared at her blankly. "……Didn't they tell you?" she asked. We shook our heads. "I'm your new partner."

"Huh?" Mike asked.

"I'm your new partner. They assigned me with you two."

"You mean, you're working with us now?" I asked. Jen nodded. She flicked her wand and a desk and chair appeared. She sat down in the chair while we stared at her.

"So…… what do you guys do all day?" she asked. Mike and I shrugged in unison.

"We're usually a lot busier," I explained. "It's just been slow lately."

"So, you work for the Order," Jen said, studying me curiously. "I wondered what happened to the famous Puddlemere Keeper. They said you went to help out with the reserve team but I went to interview Peter McFee and didn't see or hear anything about you."

I shrugged. "I had to use some kind of cover."

Jen directed her attention to Mike. "And you……?"

"Er, I used to work at St. Mungo's," Mike said. "Security officer."

Jen nodded in acknowledgment. "Married? Single? Wife? Kids? Male partner?"

"Single," Mike answered.

"And you're married to Katie Wood," Jen said to me. "Who is a fashion designer." I nodded. "Wow, I absolutely love her designs! She makes the most fabulous clothes! This jacket is hers!"

No matter how many woman I meet, they're all obsessed with clothes. The door swung open and Leo Wiley came bursting in. "Wood! Smith! …… I don't know your name but whoever you are—we found another abandoned mansion. We think it was Malfoy's. Get over there now."

This was the first exciting thing to happen in a while, not to mention a big thing. We'd been searching for any information on Malfoy for ages. Our excitement and confidence skyrocketed…… until we got there.

"Mike, you search the south wing. Jen, you check the chambers. I'll check the upstairs," I ordered.

"Check the master bedroom first," Mike told me. I nodded and made my way upstairs until I found the master bedroom. The room was neat and tidy, except where the window was cracked and the walls were painted a dark shade of green. Suddenly, I heard a scraping noise coming from behind another door. I froze and listened silently. I heard the noise again and crept towards the door. Keeping my wand raised, I threw it open. On the closet floor was a house elf, shaking and hugging its knees to its chest. The house elf squeaked and began to sob, hiding its face. I called out to Mike and Jen and knelt down next to the elf.

"P-Pinky at your service," it stammered.

"I'm Oliver, Oliver Wood," I introduced, holding out my hand. Pinky flinched and drew away.

"W-what is it that you want?" Pinky asked.

"Nothing," I said gently. "I just want to ask you a few questions."

"P-Pinky doesn't know nothing!"

"I just want to know where your master is," I said.

"Master isn't here," Pinky told me.

"Can you tell me where he went?" I pried.

Pinky's eyes grew wider. "Pinky speaks of nothing. Pinky doesn't betray master."

"But I really need to know where he is," I said.

"Pinky doesn't say nothing! Pinky never betrays master!"

I thought hard for a moment and smiled. "But Pinky, you're holding a sock." Pinky looked at the sock in her hands and squeaked. "Pinky, did your master give that to you?" There was the sound of hurried footsteps as Mike and Jen appeared in the doorway. Pinky looked frightened.

"Master threw it at me," Pinky said. "Master was angry and-"

"Because you know what clothes mean," I said.

Pinky's eyes were the size of bludgers. "Pinky is free!" she said. "Master has freed Pinky!"

"Now Pinky," I said gently. "Can you tell me where your old master is?"

"He's gone," she answered. "With Master Crabbe."

"And do you know where Crabbe is?"

"It's in an old forest," Pinky said, dropping her voice to a whisper. "All kinds of creatures. Pinky dare not go there. Somewhere off the coast." I turned around and looked at Mike, who nodded.

"Do you know what coast?" I asked Pinky.

She shook her head. "Master did not tell Pinky," she answered.

"Thank you Pinky," I said. "You've been a great deal of help. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No sir!" Pinky exclaimed. "Kind sir not ask that of a house elf. Such a shame, it is!"

"We'll need to take her with us," Mike said.

I nodded. "Well take her back to Headquarters. Jen, can you go on ahead and let them know what's going on?" Jen nodded and with a crack, she apparated.

We took Pinky back to Headquarters where they questioned her more. One of the analysts figured out the area where Crabbe's secret mansion was thought to be and Mike, Jen, and I were off again. The sky was growing dark as we took a portkey into a large forest where we found an old falling down mansion, covered in vines. I looked at Mike, who turned to look at Jen. "Don't forget, if something happens and we need back-up, just shoot blue sparks. They've got 4 others waiting nearby."

"So what's the plan, commando?" Mike asked.

"How about you two go through the east window," I suggested. "I'll try to main door and if it doesn't work, I'll enter the west window. But first, we should find out how many there are." No sooner had I said it when Jen slipped off, only to return several minutes later, looking confident.

"There's two that I could see," she informed us. "But I wouldn't be surprised if there's another."

"Do you think we should call the back-up?" Mike asked. I nodded and he sent blue sparks into the air. We waited until there were several cracks as 4 more members from the Order joined us and I told them the plan.

"Ready?" I asked. "On the count of three, we go. One, two…… three!"

We took off towards our separate ways as I made my way towards the front door. "Alohomora!" I shouted and the door unlocked and swung open as the shattering of glass could be heard. There was shouting and a loud bang went off as I made my way into the parlor of the house. Lucius Malfoy had his back to me, his wand pointed at Jen. "Stupefy!" I shouted. The spell hit Malfoy in the back and he fell to the ground as I heard someone yell, "Crucio!" I ducked flat down to the floor as the spell went over me. I rolled over and shot a stunning spell at Crabbe, who ducked and shot a spell at me. I rolled over again as the spell hit the floor a foot away from me.

The words "Avada Kedavra" were shouted and I hurled myself at Jen, whose back was turned. We went toppling to the floor as the Killing Curse missed my head by an inch. I rolled off of Jen and shot a spell at Crabbe, who was too slow this time and fell over, into another Death Eater who fell down with him. Mike seized this as an opportunity and dove on top of the Death Eater. There was an "oof!" and a yelp as spells and hexes went flying everywhere.

"Mike, move!" I shouted. Mike rolled off of the Death Eater and I shot a hex at him.

Someone shouted "Crucio!" again and a loud, piercing scream cut through the air as Ken Young crumpled to the floor.

I pointed my wand at Karkaroff and shot the Impediment Curse at him, followed up by a Stunning Spell and he crumpled to the floor. A heavy silence fell over the room and I looked around. Jen and Mike were putting binding spells on Malfoy and Crabbe. Ralph Simpson was unconscious, hit with a Stunning Spell. Jerry Sampsel was tending to his leg which was bleeding freely. I made my way to Ken Young, who was still lying on the floor. "Is he all right?" Jen asked. I studied Ken and nodded.

"He'll be all right," I replied. "Hit with the Cruciatus. Everybody else all right?"

The room filled with replies as Jerry Sampsel levitated Ken onto a magical stretcher. "I'll check upstairs," Jen said. "Make sure there's nothing else."

I nodded. "Jerry, you take Ken and Ralph back to the portkey and get them taken care of. The rest of us will take care of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Karkaroff." Everyone went back into action as I levitated Malfoy.

"Nothing upstairs," Jen informed. "You guys ready?" The rest of us nodded and we made our way back towards the portkey.

When we reached Headquarters, I checked my watch and cursed. It was nearly 10 o' clock. "Mike, I've got to run," I said. "Katie-"

"Say no more, Wood. I'll take care of everything." I nodded in gratitude and apparated back home.

* * *

"Katie?" I called out as I slammed the front door shut. I found her asleep in bed. "Kate?" I whispered, poking her gently. She stirred and rolled over, opening her eyes. Realizing it was me, she made a sound of disgust and rolled back over, turning her back to me and pulling the covers over her head. "Katie, I'm so sorry," I said. "I know I said I'd be back, but I got caught up." 

She sat up and turned to look at me. "Caught up doing what, Oliver?" she demanded. "Who has quidditch practice until-" she checked the clock, "10 at night!"

"I know, I know!" I said. "But we were working on a new play and-"

"At 10 PM?" Katie inquired. She threw the covers off of herself and got up to turn on the light. "Oliver, I'm sick of putting up with all your lies! Where were you really?"

"I was at work!" I insisted.

"Oh yeah? At work doing what?"

"What are you implying?" I demanded.

The room fell silent and she sighed. "Oliver, I just want to know…… Are you cheating on me?"

My heart fell into my stomach. "What? Katie! No! No, I'm not cheating on you!" I took her hand and looked at her desperately. "How can you even think that?"

"How can I not think that?" Katie asked. "Oliver, you're never here, you always have places to go. You're always leaving suddenly, without an explanation! Oliver, this was our anniversary and you missed it! If you're not cheating on me, then what is going on?"

"Nothing is going on!" I insisted.

"Bullshit!" Another silence fell over the room and Katie began stripping off her clothes. I watched as she pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

"Why do you care?" Katie snapped.

"You know what, I'm sick of you acting like this!" I exclaimed. "I'm sick of you making these ridiculous accusations!"

Katie looked up at me, her eyes cold. "And I'm sick of being in this relationship."

(There you have it. Did I bore you? Review!)


	4. Empty Promises

(Thanks to those of you who reviewed!)

Another terrible silence settled among us. "What?" I whispered.

"Oliver, I'm sorry, but I can't do this anymore," Katie said. "I'm sick of waiting up for you. I'm sick of you suddenly leaving, going to who knows where. And I'm sick of what's happened to us. You're never here. I mean, you may be here physically, but your mind…… your mind is somewhere else."

"Katie, what are you talking about?" I demanded.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Katie exclaimed. The doorbell rang and we both jumped in surprise. I hurried out of the bedroom to the front door and pulled it open. It was Jen.

"Um, hi," she said. "Sorry if I'm here at a late time, but I found this on the-" She looked up and saw Katie standing behind me. "On…… on the… on the ground! Yeah, I found this on the ground of the quidditch pitch." She held out my wedding ring and gave me a look. I could feel a headache coming on. Perfect timing, Jen.

"Oh, er thanks," I said, taking my ring from her. "It must've slipped off during training today."

"Yeah, I guess," Jen replied. She caught my eye and I shot her a look. "Well, I'll see you later then." She smiled at Katie and left.

"So, is that her?" Katie asked as I shut the door. "She's pretty. I bet it's a lot more fun fooling around with her."

My jaw dropped. "Katie, I am NOT cheating on you!" I exclaimed. "I love you! How can you not know that?"

"You know," Katie continued, ignoring me. "Maybe I should've given my ring to her. I mean, she'll get better use of it."

"Katie, stop!" I yelled. "Just stop! I don't get it! I don't understand this! I'm NOT cheating on you. Jen works with me. That's it! It's nothing more!"

"Oh? Then how come she knows where you live?"

"I don't know!" I exclaimed. "Honestly, all she had to do was ask someone! It's not that big of a deal."

"It's ironic, isn't it, how you manage to come home late and then she happens to drop by with your wedding ring," Katie said coolly.

"Katie, I'm not-"

She held up her hand. "Just forget it, Oliver," she said. She pulled out her wand and mumbled, "Accio bag." A suitcase came zooming through the air and rested at her feet. "I'm going to Alicia's. I'll be back later to get the rest of my stuff," she said. And just like that, she was gone.

* * *

For the next few days, I moped around, not really doing or feeling anything. My whole world had fallen apart and I had nothing left. I couldn't believe this was happening. It was almost like I couldn't feel anything. I always had this horrible feeling of pain that I couldn't get rid of. I went into work late again 3 days after Katie left and that was when Mike finally figured something was wrong.

"All right, Wood," he said. "What's going on? You've been moody and depressed and moping around for the past 2 days. What's going on?"

I shrugged and didn't answer. "Did it have something to do with your ring?" Jen asked me. My heart sunk back into my stomach and I thought I was about to burst into tears.

"Ring?" Mike asked, confused. "What ring?"

"My wedding ring," I mumbled.

"What happened to it?" Mike asked.

I had a hollow feeling in my head and I couldn't even think straight. "It fell off the other day at Crabbe's mansion. Jen had found it but I had to leave so she brought it to my place to give it to me…… right when Katie was accusing me of cheating on her."

"Ouch," Mike said.

"Oliver, I'm really sorry," Jen started. "I didn't know-" I waved her off.

"Don't worry about it," I said. "It wasn't your fault." I stared at my hands. "Katie left me."

"What!" Mike exclaimed. "Why? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I haven't been able to process it myself," I said. "I mean, she just…… left. She said she was sick of being in this relationship. She claims I'm never there and that she doesn't want to put up with it anymore."

Mike didn't say anything for a moment. "Have you talked to her?"

I shook my head. "She hasn't even come to get the rest of her stuff."

Mike sighed. "Wow, I'm sorry man. But honestly, I think the least you could do is try to talk to her. Tomorrow's Saturday, so why don't you go see her?"

I sighed. "I don't know. I mean, I just can't believe this is happening. I thought things were OK."

"May I offer you some advice?" Jen asked. "Go talk to her, but instead of doing all the talking, _listen_. When woman get upset, all we truly want is someone to listen to us. OK, we don't want to hear explanations or pleads. We just want someone to listen and understand us. And some flowers never hurt either."

"But what do I say to her? I can't tell her the truth," I said. "And if I told her that I'd be there for her more, that'd be a lie. I mean, you two both know how things go here."

"Wood, what have I been telling you all along?" Mike asked. I looked at him puzzled and he sighed. "I'm going to tell you right now, women like Katie are very rare. _Very_ rare. I mean, think about it. She's got a pretty cool job. She's totally nice and has a killer sense of humor. Not to mention she's the hottest woman in the northern hemisphere. Oh, and she's got nice-" I cleared my throat and Mike stopped. "Well, you catch my drift. Anyway," he continued. "You've got like, the greatest imaginable wife and personally, I think it'd make more sense to spend time with her, rather than searching for Death Eaters. Hell, if I was married to her, I'd never leave her side."

"I just don't want to make things worse," I mumbled.

* * *

After another night of no sleep and constant tossing and turning, I decided to talk to Katie. I missed her more than I ever could have imagined. So, the next day, I made my way to Alicia's apartment. I knocked on the door and after a few moments, Alicia answered it. "Hey," I mumbled. "Is she here?"

Alicia nodded and stepped aside to let me in. "A word of advice, Oliver-just tell her the truth, whatever it may be." I nodded and stepped past her.

Katie was lying on the couch, watching the muggle television. She looked up at me and her expression turned cold. I remembered what Jen told me-listen to her.

"What's the matter, Oliver?" Katie asked. "Are you cheating on your brunette girlfriend as well? Did she dump you too?"

"Katie, for the last time, I'm not cheating on you."

"Then explain to me what it was about," Katie said. "Explain to me why you came home so late, on our anniversary. And, explain to me why a pretty brunette, whom you've never mentioned, decided to drop by with your wedding ring, which you seem to have 'dropped.'"

This was not going the way I wanted. It seemed as if I was going to be doing all the talking anyway. "Kate, it must have happened during practice. It probably just slipped off."

"Really? I don't recall it ever 'slipping off' before."

"I don't know how it happened, OK?" I said.

"All right then, why did you get home so late?"

I sighed. "We had an emergency meeting. The team needs a Chaser and none of the Reserves are ready and-"

"Oliver, it was our anniversary!" Katie exclaimed. "You couldn't have come home, just one night? One night?"

I sighed. "I know and I'm sorry," I said. "I know I should have, but we just got so busy-"

"Oh, you just got so busy? Who, you and your brunette friend?"

"Katie, I'm NOT cheating on you!" I exclaimed. "I married you for a reason."

"Yeah, so you could forget our anniversary."

"I didn't forget," I defended. "I had every intention of coming home."

"And yet you didn't."

"Here." I pushed the bouquet of roses into her arms.

"Thanks," she mumbled shortly.

We fell silent and I sighed. "Katie, I miss you so much," I said. "Come home. Please?" I didn't care what Jen had told me. I was pleading. I had to. I was left with no other options.

"Oliver, nothing is going to change. You've told me time and time again that you'd be home, that you'd be there on time, but they were just empty promises. I'm tired of it. Ol, I love you more than anything, but I don't love the way things have gotten between us."

"Katie, I'm sorry for the way things are too," I said. "But my job-"

"Is more important than me," Katie finished.

"Katie, you're more important than anything," I said. "But things have just been busy lately. They'll slow down eventually."

"Well, until then, I'll be here."

(2 updates in 2 days…… you owe me a review.)


	5. The Truth

(Much thanks to all of you fabulous reviewers!)

"Well, it's not all that bad," Mike comforted me Monday morning. "I mean, it's not like she's sending you the divorce papers or anything."

"It feels just as bad," I muttered.

Things hadn't exactly gone quite the way I wanted the other day. It was true, Katie wasn't moving away or anything, but the situation still wasn't very comforting.

"Well," Mike said. "I have a solution." I looked up at him. "You could do what I've been telling you for the past year. You could quit."

"Mike, we're so close to him, I know we are," I said. "I can't just quit. I mean, what if we find him?"

"Oliver, I don't think you quite understand it," Mike said. "You're taking Katie for granted. Like I told you before, if she was my wife, I would have quit this job A.S.A.P."

"I'm not taking her for granted," I defended. "I love her."

"But do you love her more?"

"What?"

"Do you love your job more or Katie more?"

"Katie, hands down!" I insisted. "But-"

"Then why not quit?"

"Mike, we're so close to finding him," I said.

"Not as close as you are to losing Katie."

* * *

I thought about what Mike had said, I really did. But, we were so close to finding Voldemort…… closer than I knew.

I woke at 2:30 AM to find Mike's owl attempting to peck at my face. "What is it?" I groaned, taking a letter from it. "Lumos." The words were scribbled so horribly, I could barely read.

_Wood,_

_We've got a location on him. Get to Headquarters. I'll meet you there._

_-M_

I jackknifed myself out of bed and struggled to find some clothes. With a loud crack I apparated to Order Headquarters, where things were in complete turmoil. "Oliver!" I turned around and spotted Jen, waving me into a room. "We've got an emergency meeting for those who are going after him," she told me. "Come on, in here." I followed her into the room where several others of the Order sat. Jen and I took our seats, just as Albus Dumbledore came through the door, closing and locking it behind himself.

"We've got one reason and one reason only for this mission," he said. "And that is to capture Lord Voldemort. I've specifically chosen the ten of you to do this, and only this. Five of you will be back-up. It will be your job to help the first five, should they not be able to fulfill their duties. Am I clear?" There were nods all around the room. "Mr. Wood, Ms. Rawlings, Mr. Smith, Mr. Leery, and Ms. Jennings will be the front five," Dumledore continued. "The rest of you shall be back-up. The location we've received came from two of our spies, both of whom have been tracking 3 alleged Death Eaters. They tell us they expect him to have his own form of back-up as well." He looked up at us, his eyes scanning the room. "Like I said, I've chosen the ten of you for this mission. My intentions are not to add any more pressure on you, but I will tell you that the wizarding world is depending on you."

We left, Dumbledore's words hanging over us. Equipped with only our wands, we took a portkey a mile north of Voldemort's location. No one spoke, we just made our way through the old forest, our wands raised and lit. We came to a small cliff, which was where the back-ups were supposed to wait. The rest of us put out our wands and continued on.

For the first time in a while, I felt fear. I hadn't been able to really feel anything lately and now all I could feel was fear and anticipation. "Hey Mike," I whispered.

"What?"

"After this, I'm taking your advice. I'm quitting."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"There it is!" Jen whispered. Through the dark, I could see her pointing at a small cave, hidden among the trees.

"Everyone ready?" I asked. No one said a word and I knew exactly how they felt. "Well then, on the count of three. One, two……" I didn't want to say it. "Three."

We rushed forward, as quiet as possible, our wands at the ready. Mike went into the cave first, all of us right behind him. We shot spells everywhere and there were shouts and cursing. I saw a hooded figure run past me, towards the entrance of the cave and I dove on top of him. "Stupefy!" I shouted. The Death Eater stopped struggling and I put a Binding Charm on them just as the Cruciatus Curse bounced off the cave wall next to me. I spun around and began shooting Impediment Curses everywhere.

"Expelliarmus!" My wand shot out of my hand and landed several feet away. A spell hit me on the back but nothing happened. That was when I realized Mike had hit me with a Shield Charm. A Death Eater shot a hex at me and it deflected away.

"Oliver!" Jen was waving wildly at me and threw my wand into the air. The Death Eater made way to get to it and Mike hit him with the Jelly-Legs Jinx. I caught my wand and hit him with a Stunning Spell.

"Crucio!"

The sound of Jen screaming cut through the air and I heard Mike curse. Jason Leery shot a hex at the other Death Eater, as he yelled, "Avada Kedavra!" There was a flash of green and as I hit Jason with a Shield Charm. The Killing Curse was too powerful and I watched in terror as Jason crumpled to the ground. Mike managed to shoot blue sparks into the air, summoning the back-up. As I looked around for them, another figure rushed past me out into the forest.

The last Death Eater dove on top of me and we fell to the ground as I grunted in pain. "Mike!" I shouted. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mike rush past me after the Death Eater who was attempting to escape. I elbowed the Death Eater who was on top of me and he fell off of me, but managed to grab my ankle, pulling me back down to the ground, causing me to drop my wand. My leg was killing me and I fumbled around for my wand, finally finding it. I hit the Death Eater with a Stunning Spell and put a Binding Charm on him as well. I struggled to my feet and nearly fell over again as the pain in my leg grew worse. I limped my way into the forest, calling after Mike. After limping for what seemed like miles, but was probably only a couple hundred feet, I met up with him.

"He's gone," he mumbled. "He got away."

* * *

"Mr. Wood?" A Healer stuck her head into my room. "You've got a visitor. It's your wife."

Oh, shit.

It was 6 AM, only a few hours after everything happened and I was sitting in St. Mungo's.

Katie appeared through the doorway and the Healer shut the door behind her. Katie didn't say anything, she just sat on the edge of my bed and slipped her arms around me. All I can say is, it felt great to be holding her again. After a brief moment, she sat up and her eyes met mine. "Explain," was all she said.

"I don't know here to begin," I said.

"Well then, let me," she said. "I get a letter at 5:30 AM, telling me to get to St. Mungo's hospital. Totally and completely unaware of what the hell is going on, I come here and find out that you've been injured while on a mission for the Order."

"Katie, if you just let me explain-"

"Oh, believe me, we're not leaving here until you do."

I sighed. "OK, where do you want me to start?"

"How about with you telling me what the hell is going on," Katie suggested.

I thought things over in mind, trying to figure out what exactly to say. "For the past 3 years, I've been working for the Order."

Katie stared at me. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Katie, you have to understand, I wanted to tell you. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I couldn't. If someone found out that you knew, they could use you against me. You could be in danger and there's no way I could have lived with myself if something ever happened to you."

"So you lied to me."

"I didn't 'lie' to you. I just-"

"You lied to me, Oliver. For the past 3 years, you've been lying."

"Katie, I couldn't tell you."

"Yes, you could have!"

"I couldn't take the risk of you getting hurt!"

"Forget about that!" Katie exclaimed. "You didn't think I'd be hurt if you'd…… you'd……… If something worse had happened to you and I didn't know why?"

"Katie, I thought about that, I really did, but I just couldn't tell you. You have to understand that. Please don't be mad at me. I love you so much."

"Oliver, how can I not be mad at you?" Katie asked. "You've been lying to me for the past 3 years. I think that gives me the right to be a little angry."

"You're right, it does," I admitted. "You have every right to be mad at me, but please, just forgive me."

Katie sighed, and slipped her hand in mine. "Oliver, I love you so much… but I mean, you lied to me. I understand why you didn't want to tell me, but it just makes me feel like maybe our marriage is a lie too."

"Katie, I love you, you know that. I know you do," I said.

"But this is just so-"

"I've already told Mike I'm quitting," I said quickly.

"Ol, I can't lie to you," Katie said. "I'm proud of you. I mean, I had no idea that you would ever do something like this but… just… just promise me things are going to change."

"Of course they are," I promised.

Katie sighed and kissed me. "When you get out of here, I'm so going to kill you for this."

(Well, there you go. Review and let me know what you think.)


	6. Time Off

I'm going to tell you right now that this is a really short chapter. This is just to keep you all satisfied until the next chapter. Please don't yell at me for it, I promise I'll make up for it. Thanks for all of your fabulous reviews.

"So, how are we feeling today, Mr. Wood?" A Healer entered my room and went over the charts that were hanging on the door.

"I don't know about you, but I'm fine," I answered. "Or at least I will be once I get out of here."

She smiled. "Good news…… you may be leaving today."

"Finally," I muttered under my breath. I'd been stuck here in St. Mungo's for the past 3 days and was about to lose my mind. I didn't even understand why, considering it was only my leg that was fractured…… and a couple ribs…… and a sprained ankle. But that was it. "Has my wife come in yet?" I asked the Healer.

"No, not yet," she answered. "But can you tell me if she does alterations? I bought one of her skirts the other day, but considering I'm not very tall, I was wondering if she could-"

"Hi." I looked up and was relieved to see Katie standing in the doorway. The Healer smiled at me and left the room as Katie sat on the edge of my bed. "Coffee?"

I shook my head. "Since when do you drink coffee?" I asked.

Katie shrugged. "Well, Oliver, it all started last night. I got bored and went to the nearest bar, where I met the most charming French man. We had a couple drinks and then we went back to his place where we-" She stopped, seeing the expression on my face and laughed. "The café didn't have any tea."

"Well, the Healer said I might get out of here today," I said happily.

"Thank god," Katie mumbled. "Then you can help me clean the house. What on earth have you been doing lately?"

I shrugged. "Katie, let me tell you something. It's not on a man's list of priorities to clean the house when his wife's moved out and he's close to finding the darkest wizard of our time."

"How's your leg?" Katie asked. "And your ankle…… and your ribs."

"All fine," I answered. "Like they have been for the past 3 days."

The Healer reentered the room. "All right, Mr. Wood, you seem to be doing fine, at least physically. Mentally, I'm not too sure, but from what I've heard, you're always like that. Anyway, you seem to be well enough to leave so you're free to go when you're ready. Just make sure you check out at the main desk."

By the time we got everything sorted out, it was already afternoon. When we finally left, I was already tired again. "Why don't you take a nap?" Katie suggested.

"I'm not tired," I lied. "Seriously, I'm all right." But I failed to conceal a yawn and Katie smiled.

"Go take a nap," she said. "I've got to get some things for work done."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "Because I can-"

Katie smiled and kissed me. "I'm sure. I'll see you later."

"OK, well, tell your charming French man I said 'hi.'"

* * *

When I woke up, it was nearly evening and Katie hadn't returned yet so I decided to take a shower. After getting dressed, I found her going over sketches on the couch, muttering to herself. "That's a nice dress," I commented, sitting down next to her. "But you should make it shorter."

"Ol, my job is to make nice clothes, not clothes that scream, 'Look at me, I'm an easy whore.'"

"Really? Had me fooled." She gave me a look and I smiled. "Go get dressed," I told her.

"I am dressed. Or do I look too easy for you?"

"Kate, you're anything but easy. But what I mean is, go get dressed up. We're going out for dinner."

"What for?"

"Our anniversary."

She laughed. "Ol, you're a little more than late."

"Well, I'm making up for it."

* * *

"I guess I owe you some credit," Katie mumbled when we woke up the next morning. "Even when you decide to celebrate our anniversary over a week late." I kissed her forehead and she smiled. "But this doesn't change anything. I'm still going to kill you."

"Well can I at least put some clothes on?"

"No."

"Well, all right then."

* * *

"So what do you have planned for today?" I asked over breakfast.

"Unfortunately, I have to go into work," Katie told me. "But I'm coming home early. I'll try to be back by 3."

"What am I supposed to do until then?" I complained.

"I don't know. You could try cleaning the house."

I took Katie's advice and cleaned the house while she was away. Well, more like I washed the dishes, but it was a start. I had to admit, it was pretty nice not having to work.

By 4:00, I started to get anxious. I hadn't heard from Katie and I was beginning to wonder where she was. Now I knew what karma felt like. By 5:00, I was nearly pacing until the doorbell rang. I yanked open the door and was surprised to see Mike.

"Hey," I said. "What-"

"It's about Katie, Wood," he said immediately. "He's got her."

(Now, didn't I tell you I'd make up for it? I warned you it was extremely short but come on, you've got to be dying with anticipation, don't you? Review!)


	7. The Only Thing That Matters

(Sorry about the lack of updates. I've been working more lately and will be pitching in tournaments for another team. Thanks to all of you who read and reviewed and make sure you check out my note at the bottom. Oh, and Lia06-Actually, I've never read The Wedding, but you were extremely close. I actually got the idea for this story from the book, The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks.)

I stared at him. "Huh?"

"He's got Katie. Voldemort has Katie."

My heart sank into my stomach. "Katie?"

"We need to get back to Headquarters," Mike told me. "We need to find out where he is."

"He's got Katie?" Mike ignored me and grabbed my arm and before I knew what was happening, we coapparated to Headquarters. Just like before, things were in complete turmoil. My mind was blank and I couldn't process what was happening. "How do you-"

"We don't know why or how," Mike replied before I could even finish. "All we know is he's got her."

"Why?" was all I could manage. Why Katie? What had she ever done wrong? "We have to go get her," I said.

"I know we do," Mike agreed. "But we don't know where they are. Hey, Roy, do we have a location?"

"No, I can't-"

Mike cursed. "We need a location."

"We're trying. We don't know-"

"Well, you need to find out!" I suddenly shouted. "That's my wife he's got!" I buried my face in my hands and then looked back up at Mike. "We have to go find her. I have to-"

"I know, Oliver," Mike said. I could tell he was fighting to keep his voice calm. "But we don't know where they are."

"I don't care!" I was shouting again. "I don't give a damn! This is my wife we're talking about. We have to go find her, now."

"WE'VE GOT IT!" There were more shouts and a man I recognized but couldn't place joined us. "He's right here..." He showed us a map and pointed. "We've got a couple sightings in the area and we're sure he's there. Dumbledore says to take 2 sets of backup, just in case. You two will go, along with Rawlings, Miller, and Griffith. Since this is a hostage situation, you may need to negotiate. If you get the opportunity, stun him, but take care of the hostage."

"It's my wife!" I shouted. "What the hell do you think I'm going to do?"

The man continued. "We're also going to be sending Potter with you. You both know the reasons why. Any questions?"

"No, now we need to go," I said immediately, getting ready to apparate.

"Wood, wait!" Mike grabbed my arm. "We have to wait for the others-"

"No, we don't," I said, pulling my arm from him. "There's no time." And I apparated without another word.

* * *

I looked around. It was completely dark and I lit my wand. Where was I? I seemed to be in some sort of cave or passageway. The walls were stone and the floor was covered in dirt. I turned around and saw that, wherever I was, went in two directions. There was a loud, echoing crack as Mike apparated next to me and lit his wand. "Where are we?" he asked.

"I don't know," I replied. "Where do we go?" There were more cracks as the others appeared and lit their wands as well.

"Where's Potter?" Mike asked.

"He's coming as soon as he can," someone replied. "Which way should we go?"

"I think we should go that way," someone said, pointing right.

"I think we should go that way," someone else said, pointing left.

"Are you sure?"

"Are _you_ sure?"

"Well, we need to figure it out soon!" I snapped. "We're running out of time."

I couldn't believe this was happening. How could I let this happen? What if something happened to Katie? Please, just let her be all right…

"Wood and I will go this way," Mike said, heading right. "The rest of you go left. If you get into trouble, squeeze the coin that they gave us back at Headquarters. They'll grow hot and will indicate the rest of us, as well as the backup."

Before anyone had anything else to say, I broke off into a run and Mike followed me. After what seemed to be about 3 miles, I stopped as I noticed lit torches lining the walls. I looked at Mike, who nodded, and continued on. We walked quietly through what I decided was a tunnel until we came upon a door. Mike and I stood, hesitating to go in. "Maybe we should call the backup," he suggested.

"We don't have time," I said. "We have to go." And I opened the door and stepped into the room.

Holding my wand high above my head, I looked around. I noticed a row of chairs in the middle of the room. Mike stepped beside me and with the light from our wands combined, we saw that we were standing in the middle of an old court room. "What the hell is this?" I whispered.

"No idea," Mike replied. "Look, there's another door over there."

"Let's go." I hurried to the door and pulled it open.

"Accio wands!" My wand shot out of my hand as Mike's went whizzing past my head toward an outstretched hand. Mike and I froze dead in our tracks as Lord Voldemort caught our wands. "Mr. Wood, Mr. Smith, I see you've arrived."

"Where's Katie?" I immediately demanded.

"Who? You mean…… her?" He motioned across the room to where Katie was tied to a chair.

"Hand her over," I ordered.

"Now, why on earth would I do such a thing?" Voldemort asked. "You see, Mr. Wood, I work for the benefits of others. And I'm using your lovely wife for the benefit to draw you here. You see, once I succeed and bring myself back completely, having destroyed Potter and the rest of the half-bloods and mudbloods, I will take over, and that can only do the world good."

"Give her to me," I demanded.

"I'm afraid I can't," Voldemort said. "See, I've grown a bit fond of her. She's awfully pretty. Perhaps she'd rather join me."

"Get the hell away from me," Katie snapped.

Voldemort frowned. "That's no way to talk to me. I'm sure you don't talk to Mr. Wood like that."

"That's because he's not a filthy son of a-"

"I'd watch your mouth if I were you," Voldemort warned, glaring at me. "So Mr. Wood, Mr. Smith, I'm sure they told you you'd have to make a few negotiations. So where shall we start?"

"What is it you want?" Mike asked.

"I want very little," Voldemort replied. "What I need is to know where Harry Potter is."

"Why?" Mike asked. Making sure Voldemort's attention was focused on Mike, I slipped my hand into my pocket, closing my fingers around my coin.

"I'm very well sure you already know that, Smith. So quit stalling and tell me where he is."

"I don't know," Mike answered.

"Oh, but I'm sure you do. Crucio!" I covered my head with my hands as Mike screamed and fell to the ground. "Now, I'll ask you both again. Where's Potter?"

"I don't know."

"Mr. Wood, perhaps you'd like to share."

"I… don't know," I lied.

"Crucio!" Suddenly, I felt more pain than I'd ever imagined. My whole body felt like it was on fire. "Now, Mr. Wood," Voldemort said lightly. "You either tell me where Potter is or your wife faces her fate."

"Bastard!" Katie yelled, kicking her foot out at Voldemort. He cursed and leapt back. I seized the opportunity and threw myself at Voldemort, diving on top of him. We toppled over as Mike dove for our wands. There was a bang and a flash of blue light as the others came into the room.

Someone shouted, "Stupefy!" and I rolled over out of the way. The spell missed and I was hit with more blinding pain as Voldemort hit me with the Cruciatus Curse again. I tried to pick myself up, but collapsed as my knees gave out.

"Avada Kedavra!" There was a flash of green light and with my last bit of strength, I threw myself at Katie and blacked out.

* * *

"Here's the water you asked for." A Healer handed me a cold glass. "Anything else I can get you?"

"Yeah, can I see my wife yet?" I asked. It was about the eightieth time I'd asked, but I was willing to ask again.

"I've just received news from her room and she'll be up shortly," the Healer informed.

"And how soon is that?" I asked bitterly. "A day? A week? A y-"

"How does now sound?"

I looked up and saw another Healer enter the room, pushing Katie in a wheelchair. "Oh my god!" I practically shouted. "You're in a wheelchair! Are you going to be OK? Bloody hell, I can't believe this! This-"

"Oliver, I'm fine," Katie said, wheeling herself over to me. "Just a slight pain in my ankle. I'll be fine in a day or two." I breathed a sigh of relief and a heavy silence fell over the room. Katie looked up at the Healer. "Could you…?" The Healer picked her up and sat her on the edge of my bed.

"Anything else I can get you?" he asked. Katie shook her head and he left. The heavy silence returned and I stared at my hands.

"Katie, I don't know what to say except that I'm sorry, and I know that doesn't mean much," I said.

"It's not your fault," Katie said quietly.

"But it is," I protested. "I mean, if I'd never gotten into the Order, then this never would have happened and-"

"It doesn't matter anymore," Katie said. "It's all over now." She fell silent for a moment. "I just want to forget about it."

I pulled her against me and she rested her head on my chest. "I'm so sorry," I whispered. "I love you so much."

I kissed her forehead and we fell silent again. "I think I'm going to take some time off work," Katie finally said. "I need some rest and I think it'll be good for the baby."

"Yeah, I think I'll take some time off t- WHAT?" Katie looked up at me and smiled. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to," Katie said. "But under the circumstances…"

"Are you sure?"

Katie nodded. "Positive."

I couldn't do anything else but hug her tighter and smile. "Wow, this is… this is great. I mean, I can't believe this. We're going to be parents. This is so great."

Katie hugged me tighter and sighed. "I'm sorry about Mike."

(OK, there you have it. I hope it wasn't too… lame. Please note that there won't be any updates for about the next two weeks, as I will be vacationing in Hawaii. Review and I'll see you in a few weeks!)


	8. A Sleepy Ending

Well, I'm finally back! I had a fabulous time on vacation. Hawaii is so beautiful… as is the guy I met when I was surfing. Annnnnnyway, I hope you all didn't miss me too much (oh come on, you know you did) and here's the final installment of this story. Honestly, did you really think that I, the queen of happy endings and hopeless romance, would leave you with such a sad ending as the last chapter? Pshh, bitch please! OK, well I'm done ranting, so here it is, the final chapter!

"It's 60 to 20, Puddlemere United with the lead, Wright with the quaffle, passes-no back to Wright, it's Wright for the Pride of Portee, shoots… saved by Oliver Wood! Oliver Wood pulls off a tremendous save! He passes the quaffle to Johansen… wait Kelly Finch is diving… she's still diving, Parsons is right behind her… She's got the Snitch! Oh, what a catch! Finch catches the Snitch and Puddlemere United takes the win, 210 to 20!"

The cheering of the crowd drowned out the announcer's voice as I landed on the ground. "Great catch!" I congratulated the Seeker before making my way into the locker rooms.

It'd been several months since the incident and the wizarding world was still settling itself down.

Only two people died that night, but one died a hero. As it turned out, Mike had jumped on top of Lord Voldemort, into the path of the Killing Curse. As they went falling to the floor, Harry Potter used the moment to complete his task… and succeeded. Lord Voldemort had finally been killed. Mike's funeral was sad, as all funerals are, but what made it even more depressing was the fact that it didn't seem fair. Out of all the people, it had to be him.

As I exited the locker rooms, I looked around, ignoring the usual group of reporters and cameramen. "Oliver!" I turned around and saw Katie making her way towards me. "Great match," she said. "That last save was the best."

Things between Katie and me had returned to normal, if not better. For the past few months, we'd been busy planning for the baby, and each day I was getting more excited. We don't know whether it's a boy or a girl because Katie and I decided to let it be a surprise. So, despite the mood swings and strange food cravings, things had been going well.

I got my position back with Puddlemere United and we're currently first in the league. Katie didn't quite take time off work, even though I'd been trying to persuade her to. Instead, she's busy creating a maternity line. The only downside of it all was the fact that the press was completely intrigued with us. First it was because of Mike's death and the confrontation with Voldemort. Then it was because I rejoined the team and after that, it was because of Katie's pregnancy. Things had started to quiet down now, but not by much.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

Katie shrugged. "Like I'm seven months pregnant."

"Really? How did that happen?"

"Well, Ol," Katie said, slipping an arm around me. "It looks like it's time you and your dad had that talk."

I smiled and kissed her forehead as several cameras began to flash. "Let's get out of here," I said.

"Good," Katie mumbled. "I'm hungry."

**3 Months Later**

I woke up to sound of crying and heard Katie groan and fall out of bed. "All right?" I asked. I heard her mumble something inaudible and hurry out of the room. I followed after her, walking into the wall as I did so. I found Kate in the baby's room, mumbling softly to him, half asleep. "Here," I said, taking the baby from her. "Go back to bed."

"No, it's all right," Katie mumbled. "It's only the fourth time tonight… better than last night." She rested her head on my shoulder. "Besides you have a match tomorrow. You should get more sleep."

"I couldn't if I tried," I said. I sank into a chair and Katie took the baby from me and sat on my lap.

"What time is?" she asked.

"Don't know," I replied. "Does it matter?"

"I supposed not," Katie yawned. A silence fell over the room and we both sighed in relief. Katie stood up and put the baby back in the crib. I followed after her and she rested her head on my shoulder again. "I'm too tired to move," she mumbled. I smiled and bent down and picked her up. "You better not drop me again," Katie warned me.

"That was an accident," I pointed out. "And you weren't brain damaged any more than usual."

"You're such a jerk," she mumbled, kissing my neck.

"And yet you love me for it."

I turned around and looked over our sleeping child. "He's beautiful," Katie whispered.

I smiled. "Hear that Mike?" I said. "Your mom thinks you're beautiful."

(OK, there you have it, the end. I know it was short, but I thought it fitted. Credit for the idea for ending goes to the book, The Rescue, by Nicholas Sparks. Thanks SO MUCH to all of you who read this story without being disgusted. And just to let you know, I'm already planning for my next story, which will be, as usual, Katie/Oliver. I'm also going to be continuing This Time Around as soon as I come up with some more ideas for it. If you have any, please let me know. So once again, thanks so much and I love you all like a fat kid loves cake… I like cake too.)


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